Boy, you'll be a star
by TheVoiceGrowsLouderAndStronger
Summary: Blaine is struggling to make it in the music business and trying to find a way to make a deal with the greatest record label on the east coast: Hummel Records.
1. Chapter 1

He should have seen it coming really. It's not like people can just march into the Hummel Records headquarters without booking an appointment and ask if he could meet Burt Hummel. But the receptionist's laughter was still uncalled for.

Blaine sighed and tightened the strap of his guitar. Apparently he would just spent another day playing at a street corner before going to Callbacks to play some more, and hope to god he'd get enough money to pay his half of the rent. He was getting tired of sitting around waiting for someone to "find" him, which of course, had brought up the fiasco that was him trying to sneak into the office of the founder of one of the most acclaimed record labels in the US.

He kicked a beer can in frustration, but ended up picking it up anyway and dropping it to the nearest trash can. Because he would not let it be said that Blaine Anderson was anything but a model citizen.

He felt his phone vibrate in his chest pocket and answered it quickly not even needing to check who it was.

"It didn't work out", he said dejectedly.

_"What? That sucks, man. Did you even get a chance to play?"_ Sam asked.

"No. I didn't even get past the lobby". Blaine rubbed his face tiredly and shook his head to himself. "Look, I don't know, Sam. Maybe my parents were right. Maybe I'm not good enough to make it in the music business. The coffee place across from our apartment is hiring and-"

_"No! No, Blaine, shut your mouth! You're awesome, okay? Your parents are stupid and over my dead body are you going to quit music"_

"Sam.."

_"No! Repeat after me: I'm Blaine Anderson and I'm an awesome musician"_

Blaine glanced around himself, not able to contain his chuckling. "Sam, I'm in the middle of a crowded street in Manhattan"

_"I don't care. Say it",_ Sam said adamantly and Blaine could just picture the serious look on his face.

"Fine. I'm Blaine Anderson and I'm an awesome musician", Blaine mumbled.

_"Louder!"_

"Sam!"

_"I said louder!"_

"I'm Blaine Anderson and I'm an awesome musician!" Blaine exclaimed, making a few people glance his way curiously.

_"Louder!"_

"I'M BLAINE ANDERSON AND I'M AN AWESOME MUSICIAN!"

"Yeah you are!" someone answered from a distance. Blaine burst out laughing and smiled apologetically at an old lady he'd startled with his scream.

_"That's it, bro! Feeling better?"_ Sam asked.

"Yeah. I actually am. Thanks, Sam"

_"No problem. Hey, could you bring milk when you come home? I forgot to buy some when I was at the store"_

Blaine smiled knowingly. "Was Christine at the register again?"

_"Dude, don't judge me. I know you're not into women, but those eyes…"_

"Okay, okay! I get it", he laughed. "I'll bring the damn milk"

Blaine put the phone back in his pocket and kept walking with a new spring in his step.

* * *

><p>Callbacks was already full of people when Blaine burst through the door that evening. He looked around frantically and finally spotted Sam sitting in a table close to the small stage, talking with some new girl. Blaine started pushing his way past the people, apologizing to everyone he passed with slightly pink cheeks. He reached the table and grabbed his roommate's shoulder.<p>

"Am I late? Please tell me I'm not late! I just met this really sweet old man who really liked my oldies-playlist and he actually gave me fifty bucks so I couldn't just not listen to him and-"

"Blaine, chill. You're not late", Sam said with a laugh and patted the chair next to him. "Dani and Elliott are up next"

Blaine nodded and sighed in relief. It would've been awful he'd had to get up on stage late after running almost ten blocks in the chilly New York air. The crowd suddenly started clapping and Blaine turned to the stage after taking off his scarf and grinned widely. Dani and Elliott were climbing up on the stage, smiling widely in their sparkly outfits. Blaine had made fun of their performance outfits ever since he'd first seen them, but even he had to admit it definitely made them stand out from the other bands.

"Hi everyone!" Dani greeted the people, jumping up and down in excitement, making her black tulle skirt jump as well. The bar was filled with loud cheering once again. Blaine smiled at the breathless laugh that tumbled out of the both performers on stage. Dani and Elliott had a steadily growing fan base they were definitely the most loved singers who performed regularly at Callbacks, though the pair still found it quite unbelievable.

"We have a big surprise for you tonight!" Elliott chirped. "So, as you know, up until now Dani and I have only sang covers"

"But tonight, for the first time ever", Dani continued, "We are going to perform our own songs! How does that sound?"

Everyone in the bar went absolutely crazy. Blaine turned to Sam with a confused face. "Did you know about this? Weren't they just complaining how bad they were at composing and writing their own lyrics?"

"I dunno. Maybe they like, read a book on it or something?" Sam said dismissively and turned back to the girl who he'd been talking to.

Blaine shrugged and turned back to stage, eager to hear just what his two musician friends had come up with. The lights went low except for the colorful ones that were illuminating the stage. Dani grabbed her guitar and said something to their drummer before the first song started.

It had a bit of a rock twist to it, but it was still mainstream enough to appeal to the Callbacks' usual clientele. Blaine couldn't help but to start tapping his foot to the rhythm of the song, and he wasn't the only one. People were dancing and laughing all around him while Elliott started the chorus again, his voice low.

"C'mon, baby take me for a spin, my blood is screaming under my skin"

Blaine tried to listen to the lyrics and he thought he got the gist of it. Basically it was a song about a one-night stand, a meaningless hookup with some random person. He didn't really understand what had prompted either Dani or Elliott to write such a song, but he had to admit it was kind of good.

The song drew to a close and Dani stepped up to the mic while Elliott sat behind the piano. "So what did you think?"

Blaine placed his hands on his ears when the crowd screamed. Dani laughed happily and clapped his hands.

"That's awesome! Thank you so much guys, it means the world to us that you support us!" she said and smiled even wider. "Okay so, since the deal is that we get to sing five songs-", A few boos came from the back of the bar, "-we thought we'd squeeze in two slower ones. So no worries, there will be more dancing after I'm done with this baby"

Blaine laughed a little along the crowd while Dani took a stool and placed the microphone on the stand. Elliott began playing a soft melody on the piano as Dani picked up her acoustic guitar and started strumming it.

It was definitely a love song. That was clear from the first verse, but only when the chorus started did Blaine really understand it.

"And when the night comes I squeeze your hand and say 'Please be here when I open my eyes'. The world is ugly without facing it alone and watching as all beautiful dies. So please don't leave before the sunrise, please don't leave before the sunrise"

Dani sang with so much emotion that it was impossible not to be touched by the song Blaine could hear people start sniffling and asking for tissues and he wasn't far from doing that himself.

The lyrics had such raw vulnerability to them that by the time the song had ended, Blaine actually was tearing up. He was almost certain that neither Dani or Elliott could have created that kind of song in just few weeks. It was way too personal and emotional for them.

The rest of Dani and Elliott's set passed too quickly for Blaine to really pay attention to the songs. He was still stuck on the second one and the feeling it had given him. He needed to find out who had made that song. And then he'd possibly try to get some lessons on song writing because… wow. If he could write like that, he'd already be signed to Hummel Records.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Dani sat on his lap and hugged him tightly, still high from the rush performing gave her. "Blaine! Oh my god, I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages!"

"It's good to see you too, Dani", Blaine said with a laugh and hugged her back enthusiastically. "Your set was amazing"

Elliott leaned over Dani to kiss Blaine on the cheek. "Thank you very much"

Their group quickly started catching up as Dani and Elliott took seats around their small table and Sam introduced the girl with him as Hayley, a friend he'd met on one of his modeling gigs. Blaine kept trying to find a way to bring up the song Dani had sung, but they were all already caught up in talking about Elliott's new neighbor, who apparently was some sort of weirdo.

"I swear he's doing something fishy in that apartment, one night he knocked on my door and asked if I had any tinfoil!"

"Maybe he's going to start mass producing headgear that protects us from aliens", came an unfamiliar voice from behind them.

"Kurt! You came!", Dani exclaimed and jumped up so he could hug the newcomer. "Oh Blaine and Sam, this is Kurt! He's-"

"A friend of Dani and Elliott's", Kurt finished with a smile and extended his hand to Blaine. Kurt was rather nicely dressed for a person who was currently at a bar that was usually frequented by almost broke students. Blaine smiled appreciatively at the man as he shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I like your outfit", he complimented and ran his eyes up and down Kurt once more."Wait. Are those… are those shoes the new Jimmy Choo's?"

Kurt seemed surprised at Blaine's question but he nodded nonetheless. "Yeah.. um, they are"

Blaine didn't even try to stop his eyes from bugging out. Those shoes cost more than his and Sam's rent. How could a guy who looked to be about his age even afford them?

"-wondering if you'd like to join us?" Blaine was brought back to reality by Dani's suggestion to Kurt.

"Oh no, I couldn't. I just wanted to come hear you play. You were amazing by the way", Kurt said with a smile. "Besides, I think Noah is getting a big anxious", he added gesturing to the man standing behind him who Blaine hadn't even noticed earlier. Which was very disturbing because the man was huge and looked like a bodyguard with his mohawk and all-black clothing.

"Aww, c'mon! You didn't even hear Blaine play!" Elliott exclaimed. "He's pretty amazing too"

Kurt smiled apologetically at them all and shook his head. "No, I'm very sorry but I can't. But I'll see you two in a few weeks", he said to Dani and Elliott before saying his goodbyes and walking out of the bar with Noah.

Blaine and Sam both stared after the two of them with their jaws hanging open before turning their heads to Dani and Elliott almost simultaneously.

"Who was that?"

"Kurt", Elliott said with a small laugh. "Weren't you listening?"

"No, I mean who was the person who could afford the new Jimmy Choo's!" Blaine screeched. "Where the hell does he work?"

"Was that guy his bodyguard?" Sam whispered with wide eyes.

Dani and Elliott both glanced at each other uneasily. "We can't really…" "We shouldn't tell anyone yet"

"What? Guys, it's us!" Blaine protested.

"Was he a celebrity?" Sam asked quickly. "He looked kind of familiar"

"Oh god's no!" Elliott laughed, before sobering again and looking around them. "Okay fine, we'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone"

"Okay, okay. Now what is it?" Blaine said impatiently.

"Kurt works for Hummel Records", Dani said with a barely contained grin. "And he heard us play one night, so he promised he'd recommend us to Burt Hummel himself! Apparently Kurt's like his secretary or something important like that, so he's sure Mr. Hummel will listen to him! We basically have ourselves a record deal with Hummel!"

Blaine sat frozen for a moment. A deal with Hummel Records. That was all he'd ever wanted and now it was happening to two of his closest friends. Sam cheered and hugged both Dani and Elliott while Hayley clapped excitedly beside him, but Blaine didn't even notice them.

He had put so much work into music. He had gone to piano lessons pretty much ever since he'd learned how to walk, he'd later taken up guitar and violin as well, but still Dani and Elliott who had just woken up one day and decided they could start a band were now the one's getting it all.

"Blaine? Is everything alright?"

"What? No, I mean, yes! Of course. Guys that's amazing!" Blaine said happily, shaking off the unease.

"But wait, hey, hey", Sam interrupted, looking deadly serious. "What about his bodyguard? What was up with that?"

"Sam, oh my god, Noah is not his bodyguard. He's Kurt's boyfriend", Elliott said with a laugh.

"He doesn't exactly seem like his type", Sam muttered and took a sip from one of the glasses on the table.

Blaine snorted incredulously. "And how would you know? You barely even talked to Kurt. He was here for about thirty seconds before leaving!"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. It's just this weird feeling. I mean, that guy just stood quietly behind Kurt while he talked to us. To me that was kind of creepy"

"Oh, he's just shy", Dani said. "He hasn't spoken to me or Elliott either. Kurt just told us that he's kind of quiet and nervous around new people"

"Nervous? That guy? Did you see his arms?" Sam was practically yelling now. The rest of them burst out laughing at Sam's exaggerated behavior, which made the man even more serious.

"Guys, seriously!"

Blaine giggled at Sam's pained expression until he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Blaine?" the bartender, Stacey, said. "You're up next. You ready?"

Blaine nodded eagerly and grabbed his guitar from the back of his chair. "You bet I am"

Blaine got up on stage followed by loud whistles and shouts from their table. He shook his head and took a seat on the stool in front of the mic with a smile. "Hello, my name is Blaine Anderson, as some of you already know. And I'm here to sing you horrible covers of top 40 songs"

The people who had stayed after Dani and Elliott's performance laughed and clapped as Blaine smiled and strummed a few chords on his guitar. He loved this. He lived for the rush being on stage brought him. For the energy that the crowd offered him. For the joy and the laughter he brought to people. He lived for music.

Right now it didn't matter that Dani and Elliott were probably just about to make their big break while Blaine was still playing on the streets and in small student bars. It didn't matter that his parents didn't think he could ever make it on his own with music. Because this was enough. This moment when he knew that he had the attention of everyone in the bar. And he could do whatever he wanted with it.

Blaine smiled to himself and closed his eyes. And he sang.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: hi anyone who's interested in this fic! the songs that elliott and dani sang are actually finnish songs, that i personally like very much. i translated bits of them because of reasons. there will be more songs like that in the future of this fic, but then i'll actually try to translate the** **songs a bit further and better. thank you if you happen to enjoy this silly little fic of mine 3 if you like it enough to drop a review, then please do so!**

* * *

><p>Blaine sat on the dumpster behind the McDonald's where Sam worked, sipping tea from his thermos. It was steadily getting colder and colder outside so having something hot to drink with him at all times was a necessity he couldn't forego if he wanted to keep making money with his guitar. No matter what Phoebe Buffay said, a hoarse flu voice really didn't make him sound sexy or earn him more tips.<p>

He tapped his feet together and focused on scrutinizing the mess of graffiti on the old brick wall opposite from him to distract himself from the cold. There were probably over a hundred tags that had been sprayed on one another and together they created a burst of colors in the middle of gray parking area. The way the yellows and pinks mixed together made Blaine smile to himself; it was nice to see something so bright to remind him of the sun that had been hiding behind the clouds for the past few days.

The door to the employees' break room opened and Sam ran out with a huge smile on his face. He raised his fist up to the sky in triumph and did a little twirl in front of Blaine.

"Pay day?" Blaine asked innocently and climbed off the dumpster.

"Oh, you have no idea", Sam answered and threw his arm around his roommate's shoulders. "I'm paying for the Chinese tonight"

"My hero", Blaine teased and ducked away with a laugh when Sam tried to ruffle his hair.

* * *

><p>Their apartment was quite nice for a NYC shoebox with problematic piping. Blaine hadn't once after moving in there thought about returning back to his parents and applying to Ohio State University like they'd wanted him to. It had of course taken a while to get used to Sam's weird nightly habit of impersonating Darth Vader in his sleep and to the fact that all the walls were pretty much paper thin, but Blaine had managed (after many trips to the thrift shops in their area) to make the place feel like home to both of them.<p>

Sam immediately threw himself on the couch while Blaine placed the their takeout on the coffee table and started peeling himself out of his protective layers of clothing. "Oh hey, did you call that Hayley girl today?"

"Who?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and threw his scarf at Sam's head. "The girl who was at Callbacks with you a couple of Fridays back? And again last Saturday?"

Sam took the scarf of his face and twisted it into a ball. "Oh yeah, Hayley", he said thoughtfully, throwing the scarf-ball in to the air to catch it again. "No, I guess it was just a one-time thing. We didn't really get along that well"

"Didn't get along? Sam, I live in here. And let's just say I didn't need to hear exactly how _big_ and _amazing _your-"

Sam caught the scarf again and threw it back to Blaine with as much force as possible. "Oh, shut up"

Blaine laughed and hung the scarf next to his jacket and cardigan on the coat rack before starting to unpack their Chinese food from the plastic bag. Sam got up to a sitting position and took his coat and beanie off as well, not bothering to go hang them himself when he knew Blaine would eventually do it for him anyway.

"By the way -thanks for reminding me- I saw that Kurt guy from the Callbacks today", Sam said and took his garlic chicken from Blaine with a smile. "I was walking on the Fifth Avenue while I was waiting for my shift to start-"

"Why the hell were you on Fifth Avenue?" Blaine asked with a chuckle. "Were you going to buy me something nice from Tiffany's?"

"Shut up, man. Just listen to me. I saw him coming out of the Gucci store with that bodyguard-"

"Boyfriend, Sam"

"- and he was already holding like a million shopping bags!" Sam exclaimed and nearly dropped his food container.

Blaine shook his head as he munched on his spring rolls. "Didn't we already establish that he made an enormous amount of money by working as a secretary for Burt Hummel? Why are you so interested in some random guy we just met?"

Sam sighed and shrugged. "I don't even know. It just seems a bit weird that a guy who is that young could be so much richer than us"

The defeated tone Sam used made Blaine nearly choke on his food as he began laughing once again. Sam rolled his eyes and dug into his own meal muttering something about unemployed musicians being weird.

They ate quietly after that and Blaine let his mind wander back to the man they'd met at Callbacks. A boy, really, now that he thought about it. Sam had a point in Kurt looking kind of young to be working in such a respected position, but it wasn't as if miracles like that were somehow uncommon in New York. It was the city of dreams after all.

"Oh my god!" Sam shouted suddenly, spitting rice everywhere. "You should totally ask him to help you too!"

"What? Who? And ew, that's so disgusting!", Blaine groaned looking at the mess Sam has made with distaste. "I'm so not cleaning that up"

"No, no, hey man, listen to me! You should ask Dani and Elliott to help you contact Kurt!"

Blaine's face scrunched in confusion. "Why?"

"Why?" Sam repeated loudly, "Well maybe because he works for the record label you've been obsessed with since forever! He could get you signed there too!"

Blaine huffed and shook his head tiredly. He didn't want that. He didn't want to go beg some stranger to notice him like he'd noticed Dani and Elliott. It wasn't right. He wanted to get signed because he was _good _not because he was desperate.

"Sam, that's not… I'm not gonna do that"

"What? But it would be so easy!" Sam whined and got up from the couch. "Look, I'll go call Elliott right now and ask for Kurt's number and then-"

"Sam, I said no!" Blaine yelled, startling his roommate. Sam looked at Blaine worriedly as the man pushed the food away and retreated to his room, not saying a word.

Blaine lay face down on his bed and willed himself to calm down. As much as it pained to admit it, Dani and Elliott's upcoming record deal had really made the jealousy in him stir up. He thought it had been bad when he'd first heard who Kurt was, but when two nights ago Dani had called and told them Kurt had invited them to a private meeting with Burt Hummel himself to talk about their future. Saying Blaine had been upset would've been a major understatement.

He exhaled slowly and turned his head to the side so he could get some air. His wall was covered in pictures of him and his family and friends in various situations. He smiled at the picture of his high school show choir and pushed himself up so he could see it better. Sixteen blazer-clad boys grinned back at him from the picture. It had been taken just after they'd won Regionals on their senior year. Nick, Jeff and Thad were hugging each other tightly while Wes and David held up their trophy with proud smiles. Blaine's eyes moved over the faces of his old friends until stopping on his mother's. The woman was standing a little to the side from the overjoyed boys with a tight smile on her face. Blaine knew it was just because his dad had been the one to take the picture, but it still hurt to see his parents' indifference towards his achievement.

Not feeling like looking at his old life anymore, Blaine rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling with a frown. His dad would be so pleased if he could see him right now. An unemployed twenty-year old with a high school diploma and absolutely no direction to his life. _I told you so, Blaine, _he would say. _Maybe next time you'll listen to me before running off with your teenage fantasies._

"Shut up, dad", Blaine mumbled to himself and huffed angrily.

* * *

><p>Wendy had always been nice to Blaine. She'd offered him free drinks after his sets and always had coins to spare when he ran into Blaine playing on the street. She was sweet and funny and just generally a nice person to be around. So when she oh so rudely let Blaine know he couldn't play at Callbacks anymore, it was like a punch to his gut.<p>

"C'mon Wendy you can't do this to me!" Blaine pleaded for the hundredth time.

The girl kept wiping the tables clean, her blonde ponytail swaying from her harsh movements. The bar was still closed so they were the only two people in the place, which was clearly one too many people for Wendy.

"Look, Blaine, these decisions aren't up to me and you know it", she said matter-of-factly and moved to another table, making a wry face at the beer stain on it. "Now that Elliott and Dani are quitting, we might as well just change all of our regulars. Get some fresh faces to attract new people"

"But I can still attract people!" Blaine hurried to say. "After Dani and Elliott and that weird Joseph guy I'm the most popular performer you have!"

Wendy raised a brow at him skeptically. "Blaine, this is place is hardly the most valued live music bar in New York. It's bit of stretch to call any of you popular"

Blaine sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. That was true, but he really needed this job. He actually got paid for it and it was also an opportunity to get discovered by a label who'd be interested in him and his talents.

"Okay fine", Blaine admitted, "Maybe you won't exactly lose anything if you kick me out, but you gotta admit that I'm at least worth something. Wouldn't at least one familiar face with all the new one's-"

"We actually have a familiar face already", Wendy interrupted, suddenly sounding almost guilty. Blaine did a double take at her face and noticed the blush on her high cheekbones. He groaned.

"It's Matteo isn't it?" he asked with resignation.

Wendy at least had the decency to look sorry. "Boss thought he was the most-"

"Handsome? Sexy? Italian?" Blaine suggested and shrugged easily. "Well, I'm not gonna lie, I know I'm nothing compared to him. There aren't exactly dozens of teenage girls screaming for me when I get up on the stage"

"But you're so much better singer than him! He only gets by because of his looks, you have to believe me Blaine", Wendy said with wide eyes completely throwing away her earlier attitude. "The only reason he got picked over you was because there's no way he could find a job elsewhere and boss didn't want his homelessness on this bar's conscience"

Blaine snorted at that and sat down on a stool next to one of the tables Wendy had just cleaned. "That's very nice of you to say, but it won't exactly help me to find a new place to play at"

Wendy twisted the rag in her hands nervously and bit her lip. "I really am sorry Blaine. I'm not going to lie either, it'll probably be more profitable for the bar if we keep Matteo and his teenage fanbase, but you're much more fun to be around with", she said seriously and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "You don't need to look good to be interesting"

"That was.. fairly insulting but I'll take it", Blaine said with a lopsided grin. "Besides, it's not hard to be a better conversationalist than someone who doesn't even speak English"

Wendy giggled and hugged her rag closer to her chest. "Could I get you anything before you leave? You know, a little thank you for the past eight months"

Blaine shook his head. "Oh no, I really don't have the time. I have to start looking for a new place for me and my dear Bessie", he said, patting his guitar gently before getting up and heading for the door.

"It's on the house?"

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

* * *

><p>"No, no you don't understand! I don't have another job and-"<p>

The door to the café slammed shut and Blaine staggered back to the sidewalk, glaring at the small man behind the glass who quickly placed the "CLOSED" sign on the window.

"You're not a very nice person!" Blaine called over his shoulder as he walked away from the small café. He huffed and stuck his hands into his pockets, glancing up at the sky above him. _Oh shit, _he thought to himself and began running. Maybe he could make it to the subway station before-

The sky above him thundered loudly and within seconds it was raining.

The water poured down on Blaine as he ran down the street headed for the nearest shelter he could see, which happened to be a small organic food store which -according to the numbers on the door- was just about to close. He rushed under the small canopy above the entrance to the store and shook the raindrops out of his curly hair before making sure that the rain hadn't penetrated his guitar case.

He didn't even notice the door opening while he was fussing over his Bessie, until he heard the person who'd come out speak.

"Don't I know you?"

Blaine spun around quickly to face Kurt and -surprise, surprise- Noah. The former was smiling kindly at him, while his boyfriend eyed him suspiciously. _Paranoid much? _Blaine thought before nodding and returning the smile, albeit a bit stiffly.

"Yeah, um, we met at Callbacks a few weeks back?" he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He had no idea what to do with his hands. Should they shake hands again?

Kurt seemed to ponder for a moment before snapping his fingers and pointing at Blaine. "Sam, right?"

"No, Sam's was the blond one. My roommate", Blaine explained.

"Oh, Blake then!" Kurt said with an easy laugh and smacked himself on the forehead. "Sorry, I'm terrible at remembering people's names"

Blaine couldn't help but to smile at the boy's cute behavior as he shook his head. "I can see that. It's Blaine, actually"

"Blaine", Kurt repeated and held his hand out for Blaine to shake. "Like in Pretty in Pink, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Kurt. Like in Sound of Music"

Blaine felt like punching himself in the face as soon as he'd said it, but luckily Kurt seemed to find it funny as he giggled -honest to god _giggled_- at Blaine's flustered face. Blaine stared at the boy with an open mouth for a moment before he felt the corners of his own mouth twitch. Kurt was actually, a really sort of very good looking man and his smile took Blaine completely by surprise.

Noah coughed loudly and Blaine quickly let go of Kurt's hand, startled by the sound. The mohawked man was scary enough without threatening Blaine to leave his boyfriend alone, thank you very much. Blaine started inspecting his guitar to give himself an excuse to turn away from Kurt and his boyfriend for a moment.

"Kurt, we should get going or your dad will get worried", Noah said quietly, his eyes still on Blaine.

Kurt was frozen for a moment looking at Blaine thoughtfully before nodding. "Oh yes, of course. Could we give Blaine a lift maybe?" He didn't even expect an answer and turned back to the musician, smiling widely. "Where are you headed?"

Blaine's eyes widened as he left his guitar alone and was faced with Kurt's excited smile. He took one look at the downright enraged look on Noah's face and shook his head quickly, trying to stutter out an answer.

"Oh no, I don't need to- I couldn't- I- I can't ask you to do that. I live all the way in Brooklyn and there's a subway station just around the corner-"

"Poppycock!" Kurt laughed and despite the intimidating glare Noah directed at him, Blaine found himself once again trying to stop himself from smiling at the boy's adorableness. "Could you drive the car here so Blaine doesn't have to get any wetter?" Kurt asked sweetly, turning to his boyfriend.

Blaine was surprised he didn't get punched in the face by the brawny guy then and there. The lights inside the small store turned off, but Blaine didn't need their light to see the weird purplish color that rose up on Noah's face.

"Kurt, I don't think your dad would-", Noah started, sounding deceptively calm, but Kurt merely waved his hand dismissively at him.

"Oh, shush. We're not telling my dad, are we?"

Blaine watched as something passed between the other two's eyes. He was getting uncomfortable watching the two stare at each other so intently and was about to tell them that he really could just walk to the station when Kurt raised his eyebrow expectantly. Noah's eye seemed to twitch before he sighed tiredly and handed the grocery bag in his hand to Kurt.

Kurt clapped happily and spun on his heel to face Blaine again.

"Well it's settled then! We'll give you a lift to Brooklyn. Our good deed of the day", he said proudly as Noah walked away from the canopy and into the pouring rain. Blaine glanced after the man with a grimace.

"He really didn't have to go get your car. I could've just walked, you know" _He'll probably only hate me more after that._

"Oh, don't worry he'd used to it", Kurt said offhandedly as he crouched down to examine Blaine's guitar case. "This is cute", he noted, smirking at the multiple stickers covering the case's surface. "Didn't take you for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kind of guy"

Blaine blushed slightly. He knew the stickers probably made him seem really childish, but he didn't want to remove them either. He'd had the same guitar and the same case since he was nine and his uncle had given the instrument to him. It had travelled virtually everywhere with him ever since and the stickers and stamps were just proof of that.

"Well, there is a Power Rangers one in there too", Blaine said with a small smile that quickly turned into a smirk. "And "he's used to it"? Really? Is that the kind of a relationship you have?"

Kurt's eyebrows drew together in confusion as he kept examining the stickers. "What relationship?"

Blaine rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "You know… you and Noah", he chuckled. "Or did you forget your boyfriend already?"

Kurt looked even more confused than before as Blaine gestured behind him to the direction where Noah had disappeared. Then realization slowly spread onto Kurt's face. "Elliott told you about that, didn't he? That he's my, um, boyfriend?"

Blaine nodded, a bit taken aback by Kurt's tone. It was almost like he was disappointed. He hadn't wanted to like, have an affair with Blaine or anything, right? Because that would definitely explain the behavior. And weren't affairs something rich people generally had?

_Oh my god, what's wrong with you?!_, Blaine thought, feeling like slapping himself. _This is literally the first actual conversation you've had and your mind is going straight to the gutter!_

Kurt was toying with the buttons in his coat -which Blaine noted was Vivienne Westwood that cost at least a thousand dollars- when Noah returned with the car and stopped in front of the store. Kurt opened the door and threw the grocery bag inside before climbing to the backseat. And Blaine didn't know much about cars, but it didn't mean he wouldn't recognize a Bugatti.

Suddenly Blaine felt a strange surge of shame in his stomach. What the hell had he been thinking? He'd been talking and joking with Kurt like he actually they could be friends. They were in completely different leagues. Kurt with his designer clothes -and apparently ridiculously expensive cars- was so far above Blaine in the NYC food chain that he might as well have been in Mars.

Not to mention the fact that Kurt's boyfriend was apparently loaded as well, because there was no way in hell Kurt could've afforded a Bugatti even if he'd been an assistant to the wealthiest man in the world.

Blaine grabbed his guitar and pushed his head inside the car. "Look, I think the rain is beginning to ease so I'm just gonna walk to the subway. But thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it", he muttered to Kurt who was sitting in the backseat with a confused expression on his face.

"Is everything okay?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"Everything's fine. I just… I feel like walking", Blaine said a bit louder and straightened up. "It was nice to see you again. Bye"

He then slammed the car door shut and began walking away as quickly as he could.

* * *

><p>The blankets around him were itchy, but Blaine didn't really care. They kept him warm and after spending his evening by walking in the rain he was in no place to complain. The door to their apartment opened and Sam stepped inside -he was holding an umbrella, that lucky bastard- followed by a redhead Blaine had never seen before.<p>

"Hi, dude!" Sam said cheerily as he took the girl's jacket and hung it. "You were out late. I didn't see you when I got back from work"

Blaine shrugged and turned off the TV. Guess he wouldn't be having his Desperate Housewives now.

"I was job hunting. Callbacks kicked me out", he said tonelessly and took a sip from his lemon tea.

Sam froze with his arms around Redhead and made a shocked face. "What? No way, dude. You're lying aren't you?"

Blaine let out a humorless laugh and tipped his head back against the back of the couch. "Nope. I'm completely unemployed". He glanced at Redhead, who was starting to look very awkward in Sam's arms. Blaine forced a smile and untangled himself from the blankets as he spoke. "You know, I'm just gonna go to bed now. There are still some leftovers from yesterday in the fridge if you get hungry later"

"Hey, Blaine, no. You don't need to go", Sam said sounding apologetic as Blaine grabbed his tea cup and turned to leave. "We could all hang out together. Watch a movie or something"

Sam's date didn't seem all too pleased with his suggestion, but Blaine had to give her points for pretending to smile and nod in agreement.

"Oh no, I really am tired. I walked around like every single live music place in Manhattan", he chuckled. "My feet are covered in blisters"

Sam looked doubtful but he didn't protest any further as Redhead pulled him onto the now vacated couch with a flirty smile. "Okay but, you'll talk to me, right? If you need something"

Blaine nodded with a grateful smile before walking to the door that lead to his room. He went immediately to lie on his bed and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep faster and forget the past day had ever happened. Sadly, Blaine Anderson very rarely got what he wished for.


End file.
